


Bandanas and Sashes

by Kataury



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: M/M, Mercenary Tales, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 11:18:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18893554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kataury/pseuds/Kataury
Summary: Merc work is hard when you forget the rope





	Bandanas and Sashes

**Author's Note:**

> I give you this instead of another Do3 Chapter. Sorry! Also no beta. Haha. Maybe I'll come back and add some steam to the end. ;)
> 
>  
> 
> This is from a prompt in the IkeSoren Discord Server.

“How many are we looking at, Shinon?” Ike called as he helped Boyd strap on Gatrie’s breastplate. The sniper shrugged from his hiding place along the edge of the cliff. “A lot more than we were expecting. There’s at least fifty men down there, and the cover of the trees could be hiding more. No wonder the Queen called us in for this, I just don’t see why she wanted us to capture them instead of kill them,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the hollow filled with bandits. Only a few carried bows or a quiver, while the majority brandished axes or swords. It was going to be a long fight, regardless. 

“Do we really have to capture  _ all _ of them?” Gatrie complained. “It’s a lot more work, not to mention we only brought one cart for the lot of them. I don’t think we’ll be able to fit them all.” 

“Rolf and Mist are bringing another cart, so we’ll still be able to deliver our bounty by nightfall,” Soren assured him from his perch upon a boulder, where he was sketching a rough layout of the scene below, several wooden carts arranged in a circle, a boulder to the eastern edge that could be covering more enemies, and a small spring that fed the dense copse of trees. Titania sat beside him, offering adjustments here and there while she sharpened her halberd. “As for why we’re capturing them, our employer didn’t say, but it doesn’t break any of our rules or policies, so be sure to watch yourselves.” 

Gatrie replied with a loud sigh. Ike rolled his eyes at the knight before buckling the final latch. “At least the pay is good for this job. Alright, we’re all set to go. You have a plan yet, Soren?” 

The pensive mage hummed in response, adding several more notes with Titania before turning his piercing gaze to his commander. “Yes. I believe we’re ready.” 

“Good. Let’s make this quick.” 

 

There was a problem with their plan. Not that it was Soren’s fault, of course. Every step was thoroughly considered and faultless. Despite their number the enemy was poorly organized and unprepared for an efficient assault. Arrows and spells rained from above on the cliff face while the cavalry charged through their camp, scattering the bandits in every direction. Shinon, Soren, and Rhys quickly regrouped with their team on the forest floor where their footmen had already breached the camp. Oscar and Titania continued to ride through the woods, keeping their enemies from regrouping into any formation with a steady charge. By the time their ranged fighters arrived, the camp already had seven men slumped in a pile at the center of the camp. 

“You made it!” Ike greeted with a hearty hail. “And just in time. We need to tie these men up. Where’s the rope?” 

The commander was met with three pairs of blank stares. 

“What do you mean? Boyd should have a whole coil on him,” Shinon replied. “You were supposed to start tying them up by the time we came down.” 

Boyd gestured to his broad frame. Impressive as it was, it did not hold any fibrous cables. “Obviously I don’t. Weren’t the coils on the cart?” 

“No, they were on Oscar’s horse,” Mia replied exasperatedly. 

“Oscar and Titania have already ridden ahead, but he didn’t have any rope either from what I saw,” Soren shook his head. 

“By Ash, are you all serious right now?? How the hell did we forget the rope?!” Shinon screeched. “Soren! You’re responsible for purchases and equipment. Where’s the rope?” 

The mage tsked. “My checkbook already shows a purchase of over 20 coils of rope. Boyd and Gatrie were supposed to load the cart when we were back in the town.” The eyes turned to Boyd and Gatrie, neither of which hesitated to point their finger at the other for their failed responsibilities. 

Ike pinched his brow and released a short huff. “None of that matters now. We need to bind these men before they wake up. Check their carts to see if there’s anything we can use as rope.” A short search later only produced a handful of burlap sacks that were quickly torn to thick strips. Less than half of their bounty were soon tied hand and foot. 

“Great, now there’s only four men that will try to kill us once they wake up,” Shinon sneered. Ike replied with a punch past the archer into the face of a towering bandit, effectively knocking the highwayman out with a single hit. 

“Not now, Shinon,” Ike growled, unclasping his brown cloak from his back. “Here, we’ll use this for now.” 

“That should take care of these bandits at least,” Rhys piped in hopefully. “And then some. Only about forty-two bandits to go…” he trailed off dismally. 

“Great, now we’re using the shirts off our backs to tie these men up,” Shinon threw his hands in the air. Ike ignored him as he began tearing long strips from his cloak with the help of Rhys and Boyd. 

“What about shirts?” Titania called, riding towards the group with two bandits piled on the back of her horse out cold. 

“Oh good, this will make an even ten!” Mia chirruped, yanking the villains off the horse to land with an unceremonious  _ whump _ . “I’ll just use my stockings,” she volunteered, kicking off her shoes to strip from her socks. 

The red-haired paladin’s eyes widened. “What are you doing, Mia?” 

“We forgot rope, Titania,” Ike answered for the myrmidon. “Somehow the coils missed the cart.” 

The horsewoman scoffed. “No they didn’t. They’re with Boyd.” She gestured behind her. The commander shook his head, forcing her to look behind her and see the fighter bare of his burden. “Oh Ash,” she sighed, rubbing her palm against her worn eyes. 

“We still have another forty soldiers to take care of, so we’ll need to make some sacrifices. Boyd, Shinon, your tops.” 

“Excuse me??” The archer protested while his companion shrugged his shoulders and began to unbuckle his cross belts. His red shirt added to the pile of makeshift bindings. 

“What other choice do we have, Shinon?” Gatrie asked apologetically. 

“Oh don’t you even start, you’re not the one being reduced to rags!” Shinon snapped, yanking his scarf from around his neck and throwing it at Rhys for shredding. 

Ike sighed, “The mercenaries will replace all the clothing we use from the job. So stop your complaining.” Shinon stared at him pointedly, pinning him under an expectant gaze. “What?” the blue-haired swordsman finally asked irritated. 

“Aren’t you going to remove your vestments?” 

“I already gave up my cape,” Ike argued. 

“We can use your bandana! That should be easy to use,” Boyd piped in. The commander stiffend, his eyes going cold and closed. 

“No.” 

“What do you mean? That’s one of the first articles of clothing we should use!” Boyd exclaimed.  

“I need this to see, otherwise my hair will get in the way,” Ike reasoned. 

“Yeah, but we also need to tie up our enemies.”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Titania interrupted. “Rhys, Gatrie, and Shinon, load up the bandits we currently have in the cart. The rest of us will herd them towards your location for another capture.” She was met with only a few grumbles from Shinon and Boyd that were quickly silenced with a glare. 

Ike sighed at the unlucky situation. “I really hope Oscar has some rope.” 

 

Oscar did not have any rope. 

This proved to be very inconvenient once the company captured their thirty-second bandit. Boyd looked little better than a barbarian with nothing but his metal pauldrons strapped to his shoulders and his pants torn above his knees. Shinon matched their look being shirtless and with his trousers in a similar condition. Ike had also sacrificed his leather vestments, leaving only his leather pauldron strapped to his chest and his gauntlets. He looked little better than a beggar, but proudly standing across his forehead remained his dark green bandana. 

“I feel a bit… naked,” Mia admitted bashfully. With both gloves and stocking removed, the only major clothing that remained for the myrmidon was her orange tunic, leaving her arms and legs bare to the elements. Rhys replied with a sneeze. Gone was his cloak and sashes, leaving him in the simple shift beneath, which wasn’t ideal for a man of his weak constitution. 

“We need more rope,” Soren sighed, finishing up the knot for their latest capture. 

“I think Ike’s headband is the next to go,” Gatrie volunteered sweetly while he sat on a rock. 

“No,” came his short reply. 

“Ike, you’re being ridiculous now. Everyone is making sacrifices. At this point I can’t even tell if Boyd is a mercenary or a bandit.” Boyd responded with an offended noise, but Titania ignored him. “Even Mia gave up her headband for Ash’s sake. Don’t be ridiculous and just give Soren the bandana.” 

The commander’s sharp eyes flicked once to Soren’s red gaze before turning back to his second-in-command. “No.”

“Damn it Ike! Just give up the headband!” Titania snapped exasperated at this stubbornness. “This is ridiculous! We ALL LOOK RIDICULOUS! Just give up the bandana for pity’s sake!” 

The response remained the same with his arms crossed and back straight. “No.” 

“Fine then. You selfish prick,” Titania cursed at him before turning to their tactician. “Soren, you’re turn then.” 

The mage hummed in agreement, glancing down at his robes as he pondered where to start. He stretched his pale hand out to undo the three sashes tied to his waist when a large hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him from loosening the silks any further. Claret eyes snapped up to meet an intense gaze of blue. He blinked once, twice, before tightening the sashes again. Instead his hands raised to undo the belt latched at this collar. 

“What the hell was that??” Gatrie loudly pondered to his companions. Boyd and Mia could only shrug as the Mage tossed his belt to Oscar. 

“My apologies, Titania. But I’m afraid I won’t be removing my sashes, either” the mage replied coolly, never removing his eyes from Ike’s. 

“Well if you’re not going to remove your sashes you might as well toss out your trousers instead! Because it appears that unless by some miracle Mist and Rolf arrive with the rope we desperately need, WE’LL ALL BE GOING HOME NAKED!!” Titania shouted hysterically before whirling on her heel to catch more bandits with Oscar on her tail. 

Soren stared after the mounted knights for several moments before pulling out his knife, cutting a thin slit in his trousers before ripping them away. Ike released a low growl, loud enough for only the mage to hear it as he copied the action with his other leg. His long sweeping sleeves soon joined the pyre of sacrificed fabrics, quickly sliced and tied around the wrists of their growing captives. 

Boyd sighed. Again. “I miss the days when I wore shirts.” 

“You only wear shirts when we have a job,” Gatrie reminded him. “You hardly wear clothes in the Summer.” 

“I know. But that was a good shirt… it made me look really fierce. Really eye-catching with the ladies too.” 

“Really?” The knight’s eyebrows raised in interest. “Hmm… You think I should dye my armor red?” 

“What? No! Red’s my color.” 

“Who says?” 

“Well, everyone in the company has a color. Or had a color, I guess.” Boyd dismissed it all with a wave. “Titania and I are red. Mia is orange. Oscar, Shinon, and Rolf are green. You and Ike are blue. Rhys and Mist are white, and Soren’s black. We’ll completely screw up our dynamic if we have more red!” 

Gatrie looked at Boyd for a second skeptically. “You? Red? You’re green! All three of the brothers are more green than red!” 

“What? You’ve taken too many hits to the head. I’m obviously red themed. Ike, tell him. Ike?” Boyd glanced around to see Ike had already disappeared. 

 

Salvation arrive just in time with their second cart. Mist and Rolf cheerily rode through the hollow, following the trail left behind by their friends. The sight of the clearing gave the two pause. Several dozen bandits all sat or laid bound in a large gathering. But the real sight to see their brothers and friends scandalously dressed in torn rags, barely covering the necessities for decency. 

“Did they try to steal your clothes or something??” Mist asked in shock. Rolf hopped down from the driver’s seat with a coil of rope in hand, readily offered to a desperate Titania. 

“We forgot to bring the rope,” Boyd sighed, herding and manhandling the remaining group of bandits onto the cart. “Soon enough we were reduced to using our own clothes. Titania took the others with her on the first cart.” 

Mist pursed her lips to stifle a giggle. But Boyd’s sour face and outrageous look cursed her to fail at hiding her mirth. She burst into a full belly laugh, pointing at his shoddy pants and naked chest. Her laughter returned tenfold when she spotted Ike in a similarly compromising attire. 

“It’s not funny!” Boyd snarled, tossing one of the men a bit harder than he intended. 

Mist waved her hands in apology, trying to her best to regain her composure. “I just… I just don’t understand why you didn’t use the bandits clothing? Then you wouldn’t… tee hee… ha ha ha!” 

The knowledge dawned upon them all at once the minute Mist questioned their reasoning. Ike groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. “Just… don’t tell the others, okay? We’re already in serious trouble as it is…” 

His little sister finally pulled herself together, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m pretty sure Rolf and I will be turning in our bounty. I don’t think we’ll get paid if they see the way you all look right now.” 

“Without a doubt,” Ike agreed with a rueful smile.

* * *

 

 

They arrived earlier than expected, just as dusk was hitting the retreat. Titania’s group had already disappeared into the baths, and Oscar quickly changed into something that provided more covering as he started on dinner with Rhys. Ike had tiredly slipped into his room, unbuckling bracers and pauldron to let them fall to the floor. He was examining his ridiculous look in the mirror when he heard a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” He replied, turning to greet Soren. He had yet to change his clothing from the events of the day. His hood and sleeves were gone, and a scandalous amount of pale thigh peeked between the cuts of his long black tunic and their various blue sashes, proudly present despite the many desperate threats and pleas from their friends. His boots had also been removed to expose his pale feet to the candlelight. Ike released a low hum of approval at the sight, watching his companion close the door behind him and approach with a sway of his hips. 

“You look surprisingly good with less clothing,” Ike praised lowly, sliding his hand over the mage’s narrow hip. “But I don’t know how I felt about so many eyes seeing things they shouldn’t.” 

“I could say the same for you,” Soren purred, splaying his hand across his chest before giving a gentle push towards the bed. The commander willingly complied, laying flat on his back as his lover straddled his hips. Ike realized that the mage had removed the rest of his clothing, and wasn’t wearing anything from the waist down. “I’m pleased you also remembered who you belong to.” Thing hands yanked on the back of his bandana, forcing Ike to expose his throat and allowing Soren to attack, sucking and nipping at his vein. The swordsman let out a moan, feeling his body stir with renewed energy as Soren gently grinded against him, his hands snarling possessively in his hair. 

“I’d be naked from neck to toe before letting it be removed,” He whispered, wandering his hands up to the clasps of what remained of Soren’s tunic. He wanted to save the ruined piece for later. 

“Such a good boy,” Soren praised softly into Ike’s ear. “You belong to me, first and foremost. Let the world know by my headband that you will always belong to me and no other.” He bit into the flesh of Ike’s ear, sending flames down to his core. 

“Yes… I’m yours forever…” He slid remnants of the tunic from Soren, taking special care when he fingered at Soren’s untouched sashes. “You had me worried with these. I thought you weren’t serious about being mine.” 

Soren grinned into Ike’s neck. “I wanted to see if you remembered. Smart boy that you are, I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” He lifted his head to meet Ike’s hazy eyes, lost in the arousal the mage stoked with his ministrations. “You’ll always be mine, Ike. Always.” He pressed into Ike with a heated kiss, sending his licks of flame down his throat to his flaming loins below. “If you’re good tonight I’ll give you even better rewards.” 

Ike smiled, an intimate turn of his lips reserved only for his love. “I’m yours. Always.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Post Note: Soren made sure the rope was not on that cart. Purchased? Yes. Useful at the time? Pfffft. That's what Ikes clothes were for. He just wanted to see if Ike would do what he expected. Ike's a great boyfriend. Haha


End file.
